The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on 13 members of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel and four Sonora-based firms for their alleged involvement in trafficking fentanyl and other drugs into the United States.
These sanctions are part of a series of actions taken this year against members of the Sinaloa cartel, including cash couriers and cartel fraud schemes.
The individuals targeted by the sanctions include a cartel operations manager in Nogales who oversaw the trafficking of large quantities of drugs, along with his family members and associates. The sanctions also apply to a restaurant, stone and mining companies, and an import-export firm.
As a result of the sanctions, these individuals and entities will be cut off from the U.S. banking system, prohibited from working with Americans, and have their U.S. assets frozen.
The Treasury Department’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, Brian Nelson, emphasized that the U.S. will aggressively pursue those involved in illicit fentanyl networks and continue to expose and isolate those who profit from fentanyl sales in the country.
Fentanyl, a potent opioid, is currently the deadliest drug in the U.S., with drug overdose deaths linked to fentanyl increasing sevenfold from 2015 to 2021. Mexico and China are the primary sources of fentanyl and related substances trafficked into the U.S.
In October, the Biden administration announced indictments and sanctions against Chinese companies and executives responsible for importing the chemicals used in fentanyl production.
Republicans have criticized the Democratic administration for not doing enough to combat fentanyl, and this issue is expected to be a prominent topic in the upcoming presidential campaign.
